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BUFFALO — Sitting on a chair in the Buffalo Bisons’ clubhouse inside Coca-Cola Field, Teoscar Hernandez is smiling.

Not because he’s on the verge of arriving in the big leagues for the first time with the Toronto Blue Jays, either.

This is a much smaller win, a simple victory in a hand of cards with fellow Dominican Republic native Carlos Ramirez, a 26-year-old reliever who could also find himself in a Blue Jays uniform in the very near future.

But Hernandez joining the Blue Jays is a given.

After being acquired at the trade deadline from the Houston Astros in exchange for veteran left-hander Francisco Liriano, the organization has been waiting until rosters expand from 25 to 40 in September to get a look at the outfielder and begin the process of figuring out how he could fit into the plans. According to Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com, the Blue Jays announced late Thursday night their first call-ups for September and Hernandez is on the list.

With the major-league club playing out the string and looking towards 2018, that time has arrived, even if Hernandez was spending his Thursday evening DHing and hitting third for the Triple-A Bisons, where he’s in the midst of a 15-game stretch that’s seen the six-foot-two, 180-pound right-handed hitter produce six homers and a 1.060 OPS.

“I’ll be ready for anything,” Hernandez said of how he views the upcoming opportunity. “If they need me on defence later in the game, I’ll be ready. If they need me to start the game or be a pinch runner, whatever, I just want to try to keep my mind into the game, stay focused and do my best.”

One thing the 24-year-old wasn’t ready for was being traded.

Even though he knew the Astros’ outfield situation was crowded, it wasn’t something that crossed his mind until he got the news July 31.

The Blue Jays’ major-league corner outfield situation has been a mess both offensively and defensively this season and, other than Anthony Alford, there aren’t many outfielders in the system to get excited about at the moment.

Even Hernandez could see he was going from a stacked outfield depth chart to one that will have him in a position to get on the field in a hurry, especially once the Jose Bautista farewell tour comes to an end.

“With the surprise, I got happy,” Hernandez said of the trade. “I know here is the most opportunity to go to the big leagues.

“In Houston, there’s a lot of outfielders. Young outfielders. And there’s a lot of good position players. As soon as I saw the trade, I saw the guys Toronto has here and I know Bautista is almost leaving the team and I knew there was a lot of chance here and more opportunity.”

Hernandez comes with a well-rounded skillset.

Bisons manager Bobby Meacham believes he’ll be a plus asset defensively in either corner outfield spot, and he’s got some power, patience and speed at the plate.

“From Day 1, I was impressed with him, just the way his demeanour is and his work habits before the game and during the game, the way he plays hard,” said Meacham, whose Bisons club is also playing out the string with only three games left in the season. “Plus he’s super talented. To me, he’s a big hit and a great acquire for us.

“For us, he’s played a great right field. In centre field, he’s been above average, and left field, which he hadn’t played much he told me, he’s been unbelievable. He can play any of the three.”

With four veteran outfielders on the roster — Kevin Pillar, Steve Pearce, Ezequiel Carrera and Bautista — the Blue Jays will have to find creative ways to get Hernandez at-bats, but he does come with 112 MLB plate appearances already under his belt.

Recalled by the Astros in August 2016, Hernandez held his own, slashing .230/.304/.420 with four homers and 11 RBI.

He also walked a bit (9.8 per cent) and kept his strikeouts somewhat in check (25 per cent).

Hernandez also hit his first home run off the man he was traded for, Liriano, in his MLB debut, which came at Rogers Centre in Toronto.

“The experience that I got last year — it was almost two months — I learned a lot with those guys over there (in Houston), and I think that will help me the next time I go to the big leagues,” Hernandez said.

“I’m pretty excited to get my new opportunity, new chance. I’m just trying to be ready, and I think I’m ready for that opportunity to come. I’m just going to enjoy it and have some fun when I get it.”